When we encounter times of uncertainty it is a normal human response to feel anxious, worried, and fearful. I encourage people to feel those feelings because they are real and valid. What I ask of my clients is to limit the amount of time they allow those feelings to take hold. One way to move out of the feeling is to ask yourself, “what can I do about this right now?” and act on that. If the answer is nothing, then allow yourself to let go of that feeling and find something that you can do to inspire, motivate, or empower you. Finding healthy distractions and enjoying things that provide peace of mind are great ways to move you out of worrisome feelings and into a place of calm.
It is helpful, when asking yourself what you CAN do, to know the things that are within your control. I have my clients do a control/no control exercise. This is where you take a sheet of paper and list out everything that is in your control on one side and those things that aren’t on the other side. I then have you rate, on a scale of 1-10, how well you are doing each of the “in your control” items. This will show you where you can improve upon the things within your control. If, we are doing those things within our control well, then the things outside of our control don’t overwhelm us as much. And now you have a list of items to focus on and take action on.
Another exercise I recommend is to write down the things that you ARE certain about in your life right now such as and not limited to; family, spirituality, your beliefs, the way you care for others, your passion, and your creativity. Identify these and give yourself credit for knowing what is important and giving focus to those things. These are your foundations.
A super helpful action to take is setting up and following a daily routine. Being consistent with your daily habits and actions allows you to keep showing up as your best self. And right now is the perfect time to alter any of those daily habits that are not serving you well. Create new ones that will better support you when we are on the other side of this.
When thinking about your business life apply the control and no control exercise here too. Plan out action steps for when it’s time to get back to work. Renew your passion for your craft by researching new techniques or things to practice. Brainstorm ways that you can share your talents right now and ways to make additional income from your business…get creative. Invest in yourself and find ways to up-level your skills. Take the time to get clear on your goals moving forward.
Sometimes, it is actually helpful to allow yourself to look at the worst case scenario. You have the chance to face what you are fearing and then give yourself permission to brainstorm a plan b and determine what that could involve. Figure out who your resources are, what else could you do if necessary, what skills you could develop, and what actions could you take. Who could you be and what could you do if you needed to pivot? If we are in fear of it, we may not be facing it. Facing it provides us information and helps us look at solutions.
Other helpful actions to take during uncertain times; meditation (there are some great free apps to assist you with this), eating healthy foods, staying active, connecting with others (via technology of course), expanding your horizons (join new online groups and challenges), practice finding gratitudes, acknowledging yourself (giving yourself credit for all the things you ARE doing, using grounding techniques, doing something your future self will thank you for, and taking time to look at your beliefs and asking which beliefs are based in reality and are supportive to you.
We will get through this, just as we have with other uncertainties we have faced before. The most important thing is to trust that you are doing what you need to do to keep yourself safe, allowing whatever you feel to be okay, and looking for the bright spots in all of this.